Geologic Evaluation and Hazard Potential of Liquefaction-induced Landslides Along the Wasatch Front, Utah

Book excerpt: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the potential for future movement of the landslides during earthquakes to determine the hazard these features may pose. Goals of the study were to: (1) determine when landslide movement occurred, (2) determine the failure mode (lateral spread versus flow failure), (3) determine if recurrent movement has occurred, (4) correlate, where possible, through radiocarbon dating, the timing of landslide movement(s) with the paleoseismic record from fault studies along the Wasatch Front, and (5) assess the current hazard from liquefaction-induced landslides along the Wasatch Front. Once the study was underway, it became evident that not all 13 landslides were liquefaction induced, or even landslides at all. Thus, an additional goal of the study became determining which of the 13 mapped landslides were liquefaction induced, which were not liquefaction induced, and which were formed by other processes. 40 pages + 16 plates